Plouffe: Obama to push 'Buffett rule'

White House senior adviser David Plouffe said Tuesday just hours after Mitt Romney’s campaign released the candidate’s 2010 tax returns that President Barack Obama will specifically outline a plan to make sure that wealthy Americans pay more in his State of the Union address.

Asked about Romney’s tax returns, which revealed that the former Massachusetts governor paid about a 15 percent effective income tax rate in 2010, Plouffe said it raises an important question about the country’s current tax system.

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“One of the things that the president is going to talk in the State of the Union tonight is something what Warren Buffett famously talked about — that he should not pay less in taxes than his secretary does,” Plouffe said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “The president, as you know, has talked about something called the Buffett rule. We’re going to outline that specifically tonight — what that would mean, so that we make sure everybody in this economy is doing their fair share.”

Asked point blank whether he believes it is “wrong” that Romney only pays around 15 percent income tax rate, Plouffe dodged the question, suggesting Romney had simply followed the current tax rules that are in place.

“We have rules of the road in place right now. I’m sure Mitt Romney tried to follow them. The question is, we just need change in our Tax Code so that everybody’s doing their fair share,” he said. “That’s going to be an important part of how we grow an economy that’s working for the middle class and more durable.”

Meanwhile, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) said that he’s not expecting much from the president’s State of the Union speech, predicting that Obama will “resort to divisiveness.”

“It sounds like we’re going to get more of the same… it’s going to be a very political speech. We’ve heard the same kind of speech before, we’ve heard the same kind of rhetoric before, and look at the kind of results we’re getting,” said Ryan on CBS’s “This Morning.”

“I don’t think the president can run on his record, it’s not good. He’s not going to change his tune or his ideology, he’s clearly dug in on that, so I think he’s going to resort to divisiveness - that’s what’s concerning to me,” he added. “What we’re seeing coming before us is a politically divisive agenda.”

Ryan said that he expected more ideas that Republicans would not be able to work with the president on.

“Sounds to me like it’s going to be more of a spending wish list - more borrowing, more spending - and tax increases which disproportionately hit smaller businesses.”

The budget chairman also slammed the president and his party for not passing a budget, noting that the State of the Union marks 1,000 days since the Senate has passed one.

“We have an economic and debt crisis which can only be addressed if Congress gets to work and passes a budget, but his party hasn’t passed a budget in 1,000 days,” Ryan said.

The Wisconsin Republican said that the Republican vision was more productive.

“Instead of taking more from successful small businesses, why don’t we just subsidize wealthy people less, stop corporate welfare, stop crony capitalism?” he said.